President Obama's Weekly Address, December 19, 2009 (Video and Transcript)

The President looks back to the bipartisan Patient's Bill of Rights, a bill that was defeated in Congress at the hands of special interests and their supporters, and notes that health insurance reform covers the same ground and much more in terms of giving the consumers the upper hand over their insurance companies. He calls on the Senate to allow an up-or-down vote, and for those opposing reform to stop using parliamentary maneuvers to drag it out.


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Markos Moulitsas founder of Daily Kos smacked Chris Matthews ass, point blank (Video)

What Markos said was right, the D.C. conventional wisdom has been wrong on so much, the statement by Chris Matthews shows how out of touch he is. Markos is also right about the White House being weak. Bad news for this White House. Lastly, remember, they (D.C. conventional wisdom) called Hillary Clinton inevitable, yes, Matthews was one of those who did, and look who is President of the United States.



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Why worry about President Obama when you have Rahm Emanuel?

h/t Daily Kos

Really, why worry about the left, but as Emanuel is so flighty, the left IS the Democratic Party. When you make statements like this, no wonder President Obama is out of touch.

Turn off MSNBC. Tune out Howard Dean and Keith Olbermann. The White House has its liberal wing in hand on health care, says White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

“There are no liberals left to get” in the Senate, Emanuel said in an interview, shrugging off some noise from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) that a few liberals might bolt over the compromises made with conservative Democrats.

This is the problem with the Obama Administration, folks like this around him. But when they need that VOTE, money, they come running back to us on the left, the Democratic Party for help.

Enough. Let them dig themselves out of this party.

My mother is a staunch conservative on family values issues but a staunch liberal on social issues. My mother is a senior and she and her friends are saying, "NO TO THIS BILL". They are the Democratic Party.

Obama continue to throw fuel on the fire at your peril.

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Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz went down in flames on this health care bill (Video)

I like Debbie, and Dylan Ratigan was over the top, but in the end the bill is a bad bill and that could not be explained away.



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David Axelrod and Ed Schultz on health care insurance reform from morning joe (Video)

Again, I believe this bill will pass, but it will be an insurance welfare bill one that the Obama White House will have to deal with.



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FLOTUS, Michelle Obama Delivers Toys for Tots (Video)

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President Obama WORDS matter, as SEIU is weighing in on this health care bill (Video)

h/t Daily Kos

First, many may not understand the frustration of MANDATES. In this current bill that the White House wants, in order for the 30M+ individuals to be covered is to force them to purchase insurance. That is the mandate. But again, words matter and many remember, then Senator Obama campaigned AGAINST mandates, as follows:



Now this bill will cover everyone but you MUST purchase health insurance from these insurance companies or you will be FINED. That is the deficit neutral part of this bill because they are not paying for anything, we are.

And SEIU weighs in, full letter to members, and this is worth a read:

After a long internal debate, the SEIU has decided not to withhold support for the Senate health care bill or come out against it — the union is vowing to “continue to stand” with the President — but it is strongly criticizing the bill and demanding that Obama and Congress step up and do better.

In a letter to members, SEIU chief Andy Stern denounced the bill for falling short of “real and meaningful” change, for failing to tackle costs, for its tax on benefits, and for its lack of a Medicare buy-in or public option.

“We all stood shoulder to shoulder with the President during his hard fought campaign. And, we will continue to stand with him but he must fight for the reform we all know is possible,” Stern says, calling on the President to “fight like hell to deliver real and meaningful reform to the American people.”

The key words being, “we will continue to stand with him.” Of course, that could conceivably change, once more particulars of the bill are known or if it’s not altered in conference.

I don't think a thing will change and the Obama White House will push for this bill, even though every single poll out there states people want the public option. The Democrats have resulted to be very weak in my eyes, sure the argument continues of "we don't have the votes and must take what we can get", while this is going on their on base is walking away. It is their right and I don't blame them. This bill is not change we can believe in.

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Great picture, Bo Obama sitting in a police car

Bo, the Obama family dog, sits in a District of Columbia police motorcade escort car parked on the South Lawn of the White House. Bo jumped into the open car door after First Lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House following a visit to the Marine Corps Base Quantico Toys for Tots Campaign warehouse in Stafford, Va., December 16, 2009.

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Mr. President, "Your base is leaving you...." (Video)

From the two polls that have come out the past two days, the erosion is from the Democrats. People are angry and this is not the change people voted for. The compromises are going in one direction and it surely is not in OUR favor. And going after Howard Dean? WTH is going on in that White House?

From The Ed Show:



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Denying Americans cheaper prescription drugs (Video)

This is the result of the Obama White House sweetheart deal. John Kerry and Chris Dodd voted AGAINST this amendment to keep on course to protect Obama's sweetheart deal with the pharmaceutical companies.

From The Ed Show:



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Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Barack Obama, a definite MUST VIEW (Video)

Well, not much else is needed to say. Who is out from the Obama Camp defending this "cheesy counterfeit junk bill?" The Democratic Party gave Obama the nomination and worked like hell for him and this party, as we see, the Democratic Party is going after him for his selling out the American Public with this welfare bill for the insurance companies. Barack Obama has a choice fix it or become a one term president.



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Obama White House goes after Howard Dean?? WTF??? (Video)

Obama White House goes after Dr. Howard Dean, former DNC Chairman and Governor of Vermont because he tells the truth on their ass about their cheesy ass health care insurance reform bill? Who is THINKING over at that camp? And you don't knockout Joe Lieberman which you have ALLOWED to stripped the last piece of legislation in this bill even worthy to vote for? Bi-partianship means that much to you? Even after the other side has called you everything but the Son of God? Obama White House you guys are turning out to be a bunch of punks.



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Howard Dean, "A Fly in Barack Obama's Ointment"

Former Vermont Governor, Dr. Howard Dean is the man who showed Democrats how to win across the board. This is the formula that Barack Obama's campaign used and expanded on, which allowed Barack Obama to win 9 Bush States, including Indiana and Virginia, two states that have not been won by Democrats in over 40 years.

Now the chickens have come home to ROOST for Barack Obama and his White House, including Rahm Emanuel. We all worked our asses off for Barack Obama and the Democrats. We gave them a mandate, landslide, a healthy number of members of congress. Yes, we did that, because these politicians surely DID NOT. We donated money, blogged, knocked on doors, made phone calls, went to states on "our dime" to volunteer, we did it all because we were fucking fed up!!! Yes, fed up after the 8 years of the Bush Administration and their continuous lies to us, yes we kicked the bums OUT.

Now the chickens are coming home....

When President Obama took office he had a bold agenda and health care was on top. This handling of health care by this president and his White House has been atrocious and if you want to grade anything he gets an "F". It is time to look at this the way it is. We all want President Obama to do well, we want him to be historic down the road, but if this health care insurance reform is one for the books, the historians will also give him a C- to a F. His handling or non-handling has been the most confusing piece in all of this. The continued question of WHY he did practically NOTHING over the summer of the crazed right winged fringe will go down in history and will also be remembered as the "chickens who started to march".

People in this country look to Presidents for leadership, being in-charge, for this issue Barack Obama has been missing in action. There is a reason that he is falling in the polls, it is not just for health care, but for this issue he never conclusively said, "There must be a government run public option. This is the only way to keep your premiums down. This is the only way for real competition." He never said that. And for all his nuance speak, he is paying a price. If President Obama can not say what he means and mean what he says, what good is his words? That is something we all need to think about because we did not vote for this.

Barack Obama campaigned for 2 years saying, "the American Public deserves health care like congress." Wow, what words. Words that resonated with the public. But the fact is that the minute he got into office those words were immediately tossed aside. We watched and found out that this White House made deals in the heat of the night with the pharmaceutical companies and then tried to LIE ABOUT IT, but had to admit it. Barack Obama is doing what George W. Bush did in this instance, that this country is not allowed to negotiate for cheaper drug prices. This point is one Barack Obama campaigned on and chastised George W. Bush on.

Barack Obama's polling numbers are under 50%, you can cherry pick polls but only go to pollster.com, a non partisan polling site that adds all the polling numbers together and you will get that Obama has been under 50 for a while. The new NBC/WSJ poll, confirms it as the ABC/WAPO poll which came out yesterday, also confirms it.

Now, Howard Dean is out saying, "Kill the Bill". I agree, but not on board totally. Why? Because it will be disastrous to the Democratic Party, but if this bill currently in place goes forward, the party will be disastrous anyway.

People are angry with Barack Obama and they have every right to be. He spent all his political capital on this and got nothing out of it. We wanted this to be his spectacular moment, one remembered, but it will be remembered as the most craptacular bill that was ever sold!! Mr. Obama did this to himself. We can argue about "the people around him", but who put "the people around him". Barack Obama got to take this one and own it.

Pissing your base off has proven in these current poll numbers. Some are saying the left is the netroots, but polling agencies don't have my phone number and that argument is silly. What is happening is that the Democratic Base is angry at Barack Obama for doing a 180 on practically everything he campaigned on. Bailing out banks and not helping Main Street gets you an immediate F. Not showing you care and understand people losing jobs but still chummy with bank CEOs gets you an F. Pretending you wanted a public option but waited for the Baucus Bill and standing behind this bill because you must since you cut those DEALS prior, really gets you an F. Stating that this bill brings costs cuts, when in fact the cost cuts are by the American Public purchasing on MANDATE health insurance by these bogus companies, an F. And losing the Democratic base in a record number, F, please.

Barack Obama, wake up. You have the wrong people around you shilling you bullshit. Wake up. People out here are mad at you for their hurt, wake up. You wasted time, energy on a bogus bill that will drag you and the party down further, wake up. If you don't November 2010 will be bloodied and it will all be blamed on you.

WAKE UP.

Dr. Howard Dean on Hardball with that Senator from Louisiana Mary Landrieu:



Dr. Howard Dean on Good Morning America



And Dr. Howard Dean's op-ed in the Washington Post, Health-care bill wouldn't bring real reform

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Oprah Winfrey special, Christmas at the White House (Video)

Great interview.


Part One


Part Two


Part Three

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A must see Arianna Huffington video on President Obama, "..he unequivocally caved in..." (Video)

And the White House think that passing a bullshit bill will bring their poll numbers back up? Please. This is 2009, not 1993. And all the concessions to the pharmaceutical companies are coming back to ROOST.

From The Ed Show


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Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

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Senator Al Franken SNAPS OFF on Senator John Thune about LYING on the health care facts (Video)

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Howard Dean, fight for reform but vote NO on Senate health care bill (Video)

This says it all. The current senate bill is one that could have been written by the insurance industry itself. No public option. No Medicare buy in at 55. But everyone in this country MUST buy insurance, something Barack Obama campaigned against. My thing, again, where are the cost cuts? How will my premiums go down with this garbage? Continued, *crickets*.

From Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Lawrence O'Donnell stands in



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Who the F**K is in charge up there in D.C.? (Video)

It sure ain't the Democrats.

Hell, this past 48 hours has been a damn nightmare.

Then to have the most corporate Democrat of all, Rahm Emanuel, tell Harry Reid to cut the deal with Lieberman? Hell, what is the point?

When will this White House and this Democratic Congress admit the fumbling and jumbling of this health care bill has been gutted since the summer.

Yes, the summer.

Communication is a BITCH. I mean a bitch that won't stray.

When Barack Obama hung on the Senate Finance Bill, continued to give extensions, kept moving the dates, was when we got obliterated in the summer. While our President was having his vacation on Martha's Vineyard, his message or lack of message got destroyed by the GOP, Republicans and Insurance Companies.

Yes, it did.

We sat back for a good long minute watching all these town hall meetings destroying what was a public option. Instead of the White House and Democratic Congress coming up with a plan to explain the public option, as Candidate Obama did so eloquently for 2 years on the campaign trail, "Health Care Like Congress", all of these characters just let it happen. Democrats had no cover, swing district politicians were scared and the President Obama had to have a second Joint Sessions of Congress just to EXPLAIN what he perceives is the health care insurance bill.

At this point, this White House has used ALL its political capital, and need something to campaign on in 2010, even if it is the most shitty bill that we will ever have to swallow. And again, the White House and Conservadems are asking the progressive part of the party to swallow this shit and take it.

Well, I am done. I am not taking shit. This is an outrage. Who the fuck is in charge up there? Obviously, to bow down to the scum of the earth called Lieberman is too much. Where is the conviction at? Where is the strength at? Because right now, I don't see it.

Barack Obama failed to do the one thing he campaigned on, to bring real health care reform. And while many are arguing here, where is the cost cutting at? Where is the saving on my monthly premiums at? Where is the competition or choice at? The meat of this senate bill has been stripped away. You might as well had lobbyists right this shit, yes, and we all wrote diaries and comments when the Medicare Prescription D went down, because lobbyists DID write it.

We have a long way to go, but if the bill we see now end up being it, many are through with Obama and the Democrats. While I see all these diaries up stating to kill the bill is a monumental failure in the fall, we don't have to kill the bill at all. Just let it go out the way it is and many Democrats and all those new voters that came to our side in 2008 will just NOT SHOW UP. And why should they with this atrocity.

Lastly, though I wanted public option for all, in the end I had made my mind up to just get one to start. That public option was so watered down it would only cover 2-6M people in this country and that is NOTHING. But, now taking away that? What is the point for this bill?

I DID NOT VOTE FOR THIS.

And here is King Liberman in all his glory, telling the American People what this deal will be on health care insurance reform. Isn't this just lovely?



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Want to read those 22 million lost, but found Bush-Cheney emails?

Hold your breath until 2022. Thanks to the Obama White House for RECOVERING these missing emails. Let's be honest and clear here, of course the Bush White House wanted these emails removed. That administration will end up being one of the worst and corrupt regimes that ever sat at the White House.



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Vice President Joe Biden stating Lieberman, "...is wrong on health care..." (Video)

Interesting the question that has hounded me for months, "Is congress scared, afraid of Barack Obama?" Why? Because George W. Bush practically passed everything he wanted and whipped his Republican congress in check to follow suit. This has not happened under Obama, which is why we see a fiasco with the health care insurance bill. More arm twisting would have been suffice to the likes of Nelson, Landrieu, Lincoln, Pryor, Bayh and Lieberman. Instead we have these people halting, stopping progress of this bill, including removing the public option and now about to remove the buy in for Medicare at 55. For me, where are the cost savings for my monthly premiums? It is NON-EXISTENT and thanks to the senate, many who have taken big checks from this industry is why it is so.

From morning joe....



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Illinois to hold some Gitmo detainees per White House

The Republican Party is trying to make this a campaign issue, but when was the last time someone broke out of a maximum security facility?

Enough on that one.

The White House plans to announce Tuesday that a rural Illinois prison will be acquired by the federal government to become the new home for a limited number of Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Administration officials as well as Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin and Gov. Pat Quinn will make the official announcement on Tuesday at the White House.

Officials at both the White House and in Durbin's office confirmed the news Tuesday night.

They said President Barack Obama has directed the government to acquire Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill., a sleepy town near the Mississippi River about 150 miles from Chicago. A spokesman for Durbin's office said the facility would house federal inmates and no more than 100 detainees.

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President Obama Meets with Lebanese President Sleiman (Video)

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Really, it is time for Joe Liberman to GO. (Video)

I talked about Lieberman, outlined Lieberman, wrote about it here.

This man is a prime example of being all about ME. He is in the pocket of the insurance industries, his wife is a hard lobbyist for the insurance companies, and Joe Lieberman's main purpose is to kill any health care insurance reform. But let us not forget, he was for health care reform, before he was AGAINST it.

Barack Obama made a drastic mistake in saving Joe Lieberman after the election. Drastic mistake. Now the White House is telling Harry Reid to cut a deal with Lieberman. Yes, some will say, "It is not true." But look who runs the White House, Rahm Emanuel. At this point, right now, with the President's numbers in polling going down, with the long drag of legislation that should have been signed by now, if handled differently, this White House wants anything at this point to say, "REFORM". This White House do not want to go through reconciliation, they want 60 votes, and the Democrats need something to run on. Even a shitty bill.

The White House is encouraging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to cut a deal with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), which would mean eliminating the proposed Medicare expansion in the health reform bill, according to an official close to the negotiations.

But Reid is described as so frustrated with Lieberman that he is not ready to sacrifice a key element of the health care bill, and first wants to see the Congressional Budget Office cost analysis of the Medicare buy-in. The analysis is expected early this week.

First the public option, now the proposed Medicare buy in at 55. If the Democrats don't stand up for the people who WANT the PUBLIC OPTION and is relegated to a very weak bill, what is the point is showing up in November?

And to think that people are not thinking about this, think again, they very much are.



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President Obama's remarks after meeting with Bank CEOs (Video)

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President Obama on 60 Minutes (Video)

In his first extensive interview since his speech announcing his troop build-up in Afghanistan, President Obama talks about his plans for Afghanistan, the economy and more. Steve Kroft reports.



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The White House is not listening to Main Street (Video)

From Michael Steele, a fumbling, bumbler, but he just may have hit a nerve that many people out here feel. Many do feel that much money, time have been given to Wall Street. For Main Street? Saving homes? 1 out of every 100 applications for the re-mortaging homes from the Obama White House plan, not even 100,000 applications have been approved. Homes are going into foreclouser in record amount, mosting PRIME MORTGAGES now, not sub-prime, those with good credit but families have lost their jobs, hours cuts, wages frozen. Yes, you and me. I have always said, at times, Barack Obama is too professorial, and needs to be blunt with emotion. Perception means everything to people who are hurting. I hope he figures this out.



Now, Obama is going after the banks. OK....



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